Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
november 2014
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water
U.S. water use at lowest levels since 1970
November 5, 2014
According to a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report, U.S. water usage has declined to its lowest level in the past 45 years. Despite major growth in the U.S. population and economy since 1970, water use has remained relatively stable and decreased significantly between 2005 and 2010. The report measures water withdrawal, which includes any removal of water from natural sources including groundwater, surface water, and salt water, even if it is returned to waterways after use.
Power plants use the most water, at 45 percent of total U.S. withdrawals, but efficiency improvements decreased usage by 20 percent from 2005 to 2010. Irrigation, the second-highest category at 33 percent of total withdrawals, has declined 9 percent over the same period. Only two categories, mining and aquaculture, increased their water use, but these account for just four percent of total withdrawals and do not offset gains from other sectors.
The report attributed the decreases in water use to many factors, including more efficient systems and technology, stronger environmental regulations, and limited water resources. The deputy secretary of the Interior praised these developments in a statement, drawing a contrast between the growing U.S. population over the last 45 years and steadily declining water use.
Sources: E&E News, U.S. Geological Survey
Army Corps of Engineers considers shift toward watershed-based planning
November 14, 2014
In a press conference held on November 14 to discuss their climate adaptation plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) discussed the possibility of an agency-wide shift toward holistic watershed management. Currently, many projects have operating rules based around their original intent, such as hydropower or water storage, that can complicate decision-making in times of flood or drought. For example, a 2012 drought in the Mississippi basin lowered water levels so far as to threaten barges’ ability to transport goods along the river. However, navigability was not the original purpose for the reservoirs in question, so the Corps was unable to take the steps necessary to fill them, instead choosing to dynamite riverbed obstacles in order to maintain shipping traffic. Officials explained that a broader, watershed-based planning strategy would avoid conundrums like these by allowing the Corps to manage many individual projects as a single system, minimizing conflicts and incorporating wider community planning and ecological goals.
Sources: E&E News, United States Army Corps of Engineers